This class is designed to support students taking high-level exams such as I.B./A.P./GCSE/A-Level, however due to its important and interesting content it is open to all. Students may "drop in" according to the schedule below if they wish. 

It should be said that few historians today would accept that events in history are inevitable. Therefore, most would accept that the policies of individual statesmen did have considerable effect. But perhaps it is wrong to blame the statesmen. Perhaps it is better to see the period, in historian W.N. Medlicott’s words, as ‘a long process of adaptation to the realities of the modern world’, rather than as a period of decline. Perhaps most – if not all – the British governments of the period acted for good and rational reasons. Perhaps Britain’s position in 1945 might have been worse but for their actions.

Week of OCTOBER 3 

UNIT 1 The Making of British Foreign Policy 
1 Britain’s Position in 1919 
2 Problems Facing British Statesmen 
3 Who Made British Foreign Policy? 
4 British Interests in Foreign Policy 

MONTH of OCTOBER 

UNIT 2 The Illusion of Peace 1919–31
1 The Problems of Peacemaking 
2 The Aims of the Peacemakers
3 The Main Terms of the Treaty of Versailles 
4 Key Debate: How justified are the criticisms of Versailles? 
5 The Settlement of Eastern Europe and Turkey 
6 Anglo-Soviet Relations 1917–31 
7 The Problem of Italy 
8 The German Question in the 1920s 
9 The League of Nations 
10 Disarmament 
11 Key Debate: Was British foreign policy-making in the 1920s a success or failure? 
Study Guide 

Month of NOVEMBER

UNIT 3 The Gathering Storm 1931–8 
1 Depression and Disarmament 
2 The Problem of Japan 1931–3 
3 The Problem of Germany 1933–5
4 The Problem of Italy 1935–6 
5 The Rhineland, Spain and Rearmament 
6 Chamberlain’s Aims in Foreign Policy 
7 Chamberlain’s Concerns 1937–8 
8 The Anschluss 
9 The Problem of Czechoslovakia 
10 The Munich Conference 
11 Key Debate: Was the Munich Conference a ‘total and unmitigated disaster’? 
Study Guide 

MONTH of DECEMBER

UNIT 4 The Coming of War 1939 
1 The Uneasy Peace, January–March 1939 
2 The End of Czechoslovakia 
3 The Polish Guarantee 
4 The Drift to War 
5 Anglo-Soviet Relations
6 The Outbreak of War 
7 Key Debate: To what extent was Chamberlain a ‘guilty man’? 
8 Interpreting British Foreign Policy 1919–39

MONTH of JANUARY

UNIT 5 The Second World War 1939–45 
1 From Chamberlain to Churchill 1939–40 
2 Britain Alone 1940–1 
3 The Grand Alliance 1941–2 
4 The Turn of the Tide 1942–3 
5 Victory 1944–5 
6 Key Debate: How great a war leader was Winston Churchill? 
Study Guide 

MONTH of FEBRUARY

UNIT 6 Britain and the Second World War: The Home Front 
1 The Phoney War 
2 The Churchill Coalition 
3 The Economic Impact of the War 
4 The Social Impact of the War 
5 Morale, Propaganda and Civil Liberties 
6 Britain Post-1945 
7 Key Debate: Was the social and economic impact of the war on Britain
positive or negative in the years 1945–60?

This class requires a minimum  of 3-5 students - if low enrollment please inquire about a Private Tutorial which would include exam board specific instruction, source based activities, and marked assessments. 

Exam Preparation and Revision Tips For I.B./A.P./GCSE/A-Level History

Now that you know everything that will be coming in the exam and the format, you can get your game face on and start studying.

Here are some of the tips that will help you significantly when it comes to revising and remembering all the material.

#1. Go Through The Examiners Reports

Attempting the paper through the eyes of the examiner is key to scoring that A. All the details of how marks are allocated are in that report. You need to read it, understand it, and then practice its applicability.

If you go in the exam room without knowing what the examiner is looking for then you may not score that well. This is why this is a crucial step before you even start opening your books and revising.

This is your way of grasping an exam technique that you will utilise during your paper. For example, past patterns have shown that examiners give higher grades to people in essay subjects if they present their critique.

So get working on your critical thinking skills and do some research of your own!

#2. Prep Your Materials

For revision, you will need past year exampapers, your books, notes, and everything else you have been utilising to study. This will help you stay organized while revision as you won’t have to look here and there for your materials.

Staying organized is key to staying focused or your mind will keep on wandering during revision.

You can also sort your materials by topics. This will make it easier for you to learn as you can do one topic completely and then move onto the next.

#3. Set A Schedule

Apart from organizing your materials, you need to organize your time as well.

This will help you to prioritise your studying while also making time for other activities you indulge in during the day.

Staying focused and prioritising is always a good idea as it means that you won’t be stressing out about revision at the last minute.

You need to learn how to manage time effectively and this will be a great practice for other exams too.

#4. Remember And Recall

Yes, A-level history is all about remembering facts but never rote-learn. This will hinder with your memorising skills and if you don’t remember one piece of information then you will lose the other pieces too.

A better alternative is to sit down, revise, and remember the syllabus. Try to understand the material and then remember through other tools. Some people remember by making charts and others remember by writing it down.

Use the method that suits you and absorb all the information that is there. After that, you need to be able to test your memory skills by recalling.

A good practice for recalling is to open your past papers and solve them. This will help you recall all the information you have just spent a lot of time remembering and it will also help you with getting in the flow of preparing for your A-level history exam.

#5. Gather Additional Information

The most important thing in essay subjects is the ability to think critically and critique the points. This is what will help you stand out from the rest of the students and score a distinction.

However, to develop these skills, you need to do some research on your own. Get on your laptop and start researching different topics from the syllabus. There are many resources available online.

You can also see the criticism of other people and use that to formulate a viewpoint of your own. Once you have enough information, you can open the past papers again and attempt the questions with a critical lens.

This will help you understand the applicability of the critique and you can apply it much more effectively once you keep practising. Remember, practice makes perfect.

#6. Make Revision Cards

Do you know what is the best way to learn?

Writing down key information. So, why not make cards out of it and make learning even more fun?

Choose different coloured pens for different topics and start writing. 

When you study a topic, be sure to make revision cards out of them. These can be for anything such as dates, analysis, causes, effects, and critique.

If you think you are having trouble with revising some piece of information then make revision cards out of them. This will help you access the information easily and it will help you remember more effectively. If you still have doubts on your topics, seek the help of a professional home tutor.

#7. Keep Notes Around The House

Of the most effective tips from experience is to have sticky notes all around your room.

Take important information that you have trouble remembering, write it down on the sticky notes, and then stick them on things you see daily.

For example, you can stick these small notes on your mirror, cupboard, study table, and other things like these that you access daily. Even when you are not paying attention, your brain will subconsciously store this information.

This way when you are giving the exam, the information will come back to you without you even trying! Isn’t that what we all want?

#8. Keep On Trying

You need to keep on trying until all the information is embedded in your brain. Keep on repeating these methods until you have learnt everything you need to.

You can even study with other peers if that is a better way for you to learn. However, at the end of the day, you will have to do all the work yourself and you need to it effectively so you can manage your time.

Don’t panic when the exam is approaching as this will just make you feel flustered and you will forget the information you have tried so hard to remember.

Keep calm and trust your revision skills. The more you doubt them, the more you will forget.

Final Words

History exams are lengthy and require in-depth analysis. This is why it is important to put all your focus on the materials you have before your exam approaches.

However, the most important thing you need to do is time management. This way you will get done right on schedule and you will still have plenty of time to revise again.

Many students leave everything to the last minute and because of this, they score low even though they have the potential to do much more. So, reach your highest potential by scoring an A* on your history exam with these tips!